Shifting the landscape with style, his latest single is a huge rap anthem, topping off a growing repertoire that reaches thousands of monthly listeners.
To coincide with the launch of the unmissable topical rap release Internet, we caught an interview with songwriter and artist Leavell, to talk about his journey, the inspiration for the track, and his plans for the future. Here’s how it went.
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Leavell – great to connect with you, loving the music! To introduce things, who first inspired you to get creative and write songs?
I would honestly have to say my Mom started me on my musical journey. She played the piano for several churches including our family church since she was a little girl. She started me singing around 3 and here we are. I honestly think it’s only a handful of people in my family that can’t sing or doesn’t have some type of musical ability.
This year already you released the track It’s Over – is this typical of your style? And how collaborating with D Wesley impact your creative process?
Well, last year was my first time on a afrobeat but I have always loved the vibe. Speaking of last year, Echikey Bahimo, who is a signed artist out of Tanzania. Came together with me to feature on a single I dropped on my Birthday titled Oh What A Nite. D Wesley caught wind of it on the Internet and reached out about a song he was working on titled “It’s Over”. It was set to come out at the end of the year but we had to sit on it until last month.
In the mean time I landed my 2nd International feature, by appearing on Raver Ivvi’s album where I laced a verse on his track titled Thousand Text. Now I actually learned a little Pidgin English for It’s Over which was dope to me, because it opened my mind to the endless possibilities that music has to offer.
Let’s talk about the new single Internet – what’s the story here, and how did you come up with the song?
Have you ever been scrolling through the internet on a late night and see some things you hope your kids won’t ever see? The Internet is a wild place, what gave me the idea of the song was that last snow storm we had, all the crazy conspiracies about the ice and why it stayed so long to the ice agent slipping on ice then how the internet did what the internet does lol.
Information travels faster than the speed of light sometimes, plus I was one of those, “Where the hell is my damn 2 racks at” type of citizens when it came to that stimulus the government was talking about lol. When I jokingly said that line it clicked and I started working on the song immediately!
This is your very first song in the Hip Hop genre – why now, and how did that creative shift affect your writing style and mood?
Well, I started out as A. Le and in my area I’m known for being one of the first local singer/rappers to get my ads and song on the radio about 10 years ago. It felt good to get in the booth and let out as much energy as I could over some 808’s. Some say the old me is back lol. I haven’t rapped in over 10 yrs and I stepped in the booth on a mission, cause I’ve always had a decent message to deliver.
How do you balance outside influence and relevance with personality and meaning in your music?
I’m such a loner, I don’t have any outside influences honestly, I’m so to myself. I’ve been to 48 states and only been to 1 with one other person. I work so much I really only have time for my son, my Mom’s and my music. I hardly listen to the radio or other artist, so truthfully, I just make music from the heart and soul that I hope others can relate to. I feel like everything I see on the internet has a strong potential of helping me stay relevant but it also shows me how different I am and how differently I think when it comes to what folks consider normal. I’m definitely a unique old soul!
Do you play any instruments or produce your own beats?
I can’t play like a piano like a pro but I used to make my own beats with Fruity Loops back when I first started, I keep hearing when am I gonna start making beats again, so I’ve considered dabbling back into. I’m slowly building me a home studio so I can release music whenever I want.
How much has your approach or mindset evolved since last year’s evocative single Baby, and what’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about releasing music independently?
I feel like there is always a formula for something when it works you repeat the formula. Baby started out really good and died off, but I still get views and streams daily. That made me sit back and think about a few things, my rollout was great but I missed a few steps that I’m taking with Internet and I’m hoping for the same start Baby had but I’m hoping the strategy I’m taking this time around will be a better outcome.
Baby taught me a lot, from getting folks involved for roles, the cameraman, the locations, to the rollout and promotion. It was a great learning experience though, as an independent artist, I realized if you’re a hometown favorite, you have a better chance of a buzz and a push from your hometown. I don’t mind being an underdog, because it’s forced me to push past my town, my state, my country. It’s a harder road, but life’s all about the journey!
Is live performance on the cards this year?
It’s been a while since I performed live, but I can’t wait to perform. Once these next 2 singles drop with the next couple months I will be hitting the road and performing any and everywhere possible, I really believe it’s time to get back on stage and I’d be lilying if I said I wasn’t excited to see how folks react to Internet when it’s turned up to the max!!!
Anything else we need to know?
My teaser drops for Internet 3.19, it was shot ata Historical Landmark named Pilot Rock in Allegre, KY. An (Official Music Video) is on the way and in the works for It’s Over and Internet so stay tuned because Child Support and A Loan are next on the list to drop. Follow me on my socials and go presave my new single now on Spotify or Apple Music.
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Find Leavell on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & his Website.
